Considerations When Conducting Psychological Interviews

¶ … individual differences (idiographic) and group comparison (nomothetic) in the interpretation of results. As noted in Caltabiano & Shellshear (1998), there is a wide range of idiographic differences in terms of food preferences. Although cultural differences clearly affect food likes and dislikes, even within a culture such as ours there is a wide range of preferences. The perceptions of what foods are healthy, in contrast, is much narrower and based upon perceived factual data.

Gender differences were noted regarding food choices and other general trends were observed between groups (such as more calorie-counting amongst women); however, in a discussion of the results it was noted that overall an idiographic approach would be favored when counseling individuals on nutrition. Individual differences were extremely varied.

Similarly, in Ellard, Farchione, & Barlow's (2012) analysis of individual responses to music, images, and film, it was found that "significant differences also emerged in ratings of positive affect, with greater personal relevance significantly related to greater positive affect" regarding how individuals experienced different media (p.232). In other words, although dislikes were consistent within groups, preferences were far more difference. What are the strengths and limitations of interpreting performances from either position? The strengths of idiographic approaches lie in the fact that they are tailored to the needs of specific individuals.

Every person is subject to a unique confluence of genetics, environmental influences, and epigenetics. On the other hand, analyzing someone without drawing connections to a larger group can sometimes be very limiting. For example, in the Caltabiano & Shellshear (1998), a fairly universal preference was established in favor of unhealthy food on a basis of taste. This could illustrate a general psychological principle of enjoying 'forbidden fruit' more so than actually disliking the taste of healthier food and suggest a broader way to encourage good nutrition in the wider population.

How do competent clinicians balance both positions in effectively describing the cognitive functioning of examinees? Clinicians can note generally-observed trends even while making allowances for individual differences in the recommendations they provide. In the Ellard, Farchione, & Barlow (2012) article it was noted that there were no significant nomothetic and idiographic differences in negative responses to media types by and large but positive ones were extremely varied (p. 239).

As discussed in Alkin & Turner (2007), having knowledge of the cultural and ethnic worldview of the interview subject can be useful in keeping mind possible differences between the subject and the interviewer: individual differences are not necessarily purely idiosyncratic and may arise out of cultural values (p.60). However, clinicians should also not reduce the interviewee to the sum of his or her culture and symptoms.

In your mind and based on your review of the articles, what factors would influence your approach to administering and interpreting data? The needs of the research study itself must clearly determine if an idiographic versus nomothetic approach is needed. For example, in the case of the Caltabiano & Shellshear (1998) article, an idiographic approach was more useful given one of the purposes of the article was to determine how best to frame nutritional counseling to patients; taking into consideration individual differences was deemed essential to encourage healthier food choices.

In other interviews, establishing more general guidelines or investigating trends regarding the patient's culture may be at the forefront of concerns. Finally, context (such as a clinical context versus a research study or an interview taking place in an emergency versus an outpatient setting) will affect the clinician's approach to the data (Segal, June & Marty 2010). Reference Alkin, W. M., & Turner, S. M. (2007). Toward understanding ethnic and cultural factors in the interviewing process. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 43, 50-64. Retrieved from.